Improvement in circular-saw mills



I A. CUNNINGH'AMg Circular Saw-Mill.

No. 222,775. Patented Dec. 23, I879.

N,PETERS. PHOTO LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C

NTED STATES PATENT ALBERT CUNNINGHAM, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CIRCULAR-SAW MILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,77 5, datedDecember 23, 1879; application filed December 30, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT CUNNINGHAM of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Saw-Mill Feed-Works; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to makeand use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, andto the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification. My invention consists of a novel arrangement andcombination of the carriage of a circular-saw mill, the motive-poweremployed to drive it, and the medium by which the power is transmittedto the carriage. My device serves to make the motion of the carriagemore smooth and steady, and gives the sawyer more complete control ofits motions, thereby enabling him to out a greater quantity of lumber ina given time, and to do it with less labor.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view ofmy'invention, showing the position and arrangement of all its parts.Fig. 2 shows the double rack underneath the carriage and the twopinionsmesh'inginto it. Fig. 3 is a brake used to check the motion ofthe carriage. Fig. 4 shows a part of one of the upright shafts, with thebrake-cone attached. Fig. 5 shows the upper bearings of the shaftsdriving the carriage.

A is the carriage, of the ordinary well-known form in use incircular-saw mills, rnnnin g upon the tracks T T in floor of mill f f. Fis a double-faced rack, which I prefer to place at or very near thecenter of the carriage- E E are spur-pinions meshinginto thedouble-faced rack F, one on each side. The pinions E E are keyed uponthe upper ends of the strong parallel upright shafts B B, the lower endsof which revolve in strong fixed bearings in the supporting-beam I. Uponthe shafts B B are also keyed the gearwheels H H, which mesh into eachother and serve to connect the shafts- B B. O G are conical pulleyskeyed upon the shafts B B, near their middle portions. D is a doubleannular conical-shaped brake pressin g against the conical surfaces ofthe pulleys G O. N is a lever pivoted near its middle at d,

to one end of which, by means of a link, the brake D is fastened, and tothe other end of which is attached the upright rod 0, which terminatesabove the mill-floor in a flat step, by stepping upon which the sawyeris enabled to press the brake D against conical pulleys O O, and therebycheck the motion of shafts B B. M is the cylinder of the steam-engineemployed to drive the carriage. The one shown in the drawings is atrunk-engine, and its connecting-rod L connects with crank K, keyed uponone of the shafts B B.

By means of the gear-wheels H H the other shaft B is driven"; and bymeans of the pinions E E they drive the carriage A through the rack F. Iprefer to have the shafts B B upright, and to also employ anuprightdoublefacedrack, F; but no insurmountable difficulty prevents theplacing of the shafts B B horizontally, and the employment of ahorizontal double-faced rack instead of an upright one to be driven bythem.

The motion of the carriage is reversed by reversing the motion of theengine.

By connecting the engine directly with shafts B B, and transmittingtheir motion to the carriage in the manner shown, I make the motion ofthe carriage positive. By the employment of the two shaftsB B and thedoublefaced rack F, I prevent side friction on the tracks of thecarriage, and by this part of my device and the use of upright shafts BB1 prevent the jolting and uneven motion of the carriage in greatmeasure.

The above-mentioned advantage is gained by the use of adirectly-connected engine; but, of course, the engines motion mightbetransmitted to shafts B B or a shaft, B, by means of gearing on anengine-shaft driven by the engine.

I prefer a trunk or some variety of rotary engine as a motor, becauseit'is more compact. If any but a rotary engine is'used two cylindersshould be used, so that the machinery may be started with uniformreadiness at any point.

claim- 1. The combination, incircnlar-saw mills, of an engine, M, withupright shafts B B, connected so as to rotate simultaneously, and proHaving thus fully set forth my invention, I l

Yided with pinions E E and the double-faced provided with brake-cone G,and brake D, subrack F, substantially as and for the purposes stantiallyas and for the purposes specified. set forth. In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as 2. In circular-saw mills, the combination of my own Iaffix my signature in presence of an engine, M, with upright shaft B,when protwo witnesses.

vided with pinion E, and rack F, when attached ALBERT GUN NIN GHAM. tothe saw-mill carriage, all substantially as Witnesses: and for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth. E. H. BUTTUM,

3. The combination of engine M, shaft 13, IRVING T. FORD.

